April 13, 2009

San Antonio Business Journal

USAA will move 240 jobs to its operations center in San Antonio, the company said Thursday.

In February, USAA announced a plan to close the company’s Sacramento office and part of its Norfolk, Va., office as part of a national real estate consolidation. The company is consolidating office space as part of a plan to reduce overall expenses.

There are some 625 people working in Sacramento and 475 people working in Norfolk. Those employees who decided not to make the move will be offered severance packages.

USAA will sell those facilities in Sacramento and Norfolk once all the employees have made their respective moves. As many as 550 employees have decided to remain with the company and work at one of four remaining USAA operations centers.

Of those employees who will be making the move, 240 individuals will relocate to San Antonio as part of the consolidation. Seventy-five individuals will move to Colorado Springs; 145 will move to Phoenix and 90 will move to Tampa, Fla.

In San Antonio, employees will work at the company’s massive headquarters campus near the South Texas Medical Center.

Employees in Sacramento and Norfolk primarily supported the company’s automotive and property and casualty lines of insurance. Employees who are moving to San Antonio will perform the same work.

About 50 workers in USAA’s Norfolk office will remain in Virginia but will switch over to work in the company’s claims and legal departments.

“We’re very pleased so many employees will stay with USAA, and we’re grateful to all employees in Norfolk and Sacramento for their ongoing service and professionalism throughout this process,” says USAA President and CEO Joe Robles.

“Their continued service and the high number of people who have chosen to relocate is is a reflection of a workforce that is passionate about our company, our members and our mission to serve military families,” he says.

San Antonio-based USAA provides financial planning, insurance, investments and banking products to members of the U.S. military and their families. The company has nearly 7 million members.

September 17, 2008

Despite Hurricane Ike, despite the one hundred degree plus summers we endure and despite the images of our cowboy hat wearing children headed to school on horses the rest of the country pictures I am thankful I am a Texan. If you have been watching CNN and MNBC it seems that all of the news lately has been doom and gloom.Reporters are focused on the historical drops the stock market experienced this week, the financial companies declaring bankruptcy, and the sinking housing market.However, in

Texas

, we have a saving grace that we see even more predominantly in

San Antonio

. . . our job market.Many national companies have relocated to

Texas

to take advantage of our cheaper land and tax breaks which has helped steady our economy in general but, more specifically, has helped keep the housing market and credit crunch in check in comparison with much of the nation.

San Antonio

, according to the Express News, has 25 of Inc.com’s 5000 fastest growing companies list with the second highest median revenue of any metro area at $21.3 million.We have seen many companies move into

San Antonio

and hire hundreds of workers which helped our city remain stronger than many of our east and west coast neighbors.Other parts of

also led the nation in job growth last year with a respective 2.3% and 2.2% growth rate in July in comparison to July of 2007.The gulf coast actually avoided much of the feared damage that Ike was capable of and, thus, the inflated gas prices have already begun to fall by over $5 per barrel.Although Hurricane Ike caused $15-$20 billion in damages this really can have a positive impact on the

Texas

coast.The rebuilding process will require new additional jobs to be added with funds being poured in from outside of the areas through insurance money from all over the world.The reality is that as long as our job market remains as strong and consistent as it has been,

July 22, 2008

You see the headlines everywhere, “the nations housing market is dismal with no end in sight”. While most of the nation's real estate markets are mired in a slump, San Antonio's residential real estate market logged it's third best year ever in 2007 with an appreciation rate of approximately 5%. Because of the local job market, the local economy is stable. The addition of Toyota's Tundra Truck Plant, The National Security Agency's Satellite Center, Microsoft, Rackspace and The TPC San Antonio Golf Resort have created many high paying jobs in comparison to the local average wage. Even though the Toyotaplant is cutting production of their Tundra truck for three months, the company remains optimistic in the economy rolling back to better days. Additionally construction at Fort Sam Houston began in January 2008 on a $1.56 billion project and is expected to add approximately 10,000-12,000 jobs during the next three years.

SA has recently gained national notoriety from Fortune, Forbes and HomeVestors magazines as the place to invest in residential real estate. Investors are not as active as in recent years but as the national market continues its decline many are betting that SA's prices will not remain among the lowest in the country. Stable market conditions, high cap and moderate vacancy rates and low price structure add up to low risk as investors are concerned with declining values in other markets.

During the first half of 2008 inventory has risen nearly 20% from the same period of 2007. Sales are down about 15%. Properties located inside of Loop1604 are still experiencing high demand. Outside of the loop is a different story. Prices are mostly stable but there are some surprisingly good opportunities out there right now. The one thing that has not made the headlines is the fact that the glut of rental inventory is history and rents are gently rising. Interest rates have fluctuated widely lately and are around 6.25% for a 30 year fixed rate.

June 25, 2008

My House Is Worth What? gives you the lowdown on the high stakes of home ownership. Go behind closed doors each week as three homeowners in three different parts of the country strategize on maximizing their homes' value. After a professional assessment and evaluation from local market experts, they'll get the bottom line on how well their efforts will pay off, with big surprises often awaiting the homeowner in the final number

The air times for the Alamo Heights home episode titled “Selling In Savannah” are:

June 24, 2008 – 10 pm central

June 25, 2008 – 2 am central

August 30, 2008 – 6 pm central

The air times for the Heights home episode titled “Banking on The Future” are:

July 8, 2008 – 10 pm central

July 9, 2008 – 2 am central

The airtime for the Timberwood Park home titled “Endless Possibilities” episode is:

June 05, 2008

June 02, 2008

Thinking of moving? Read Barbara Corcoran’s, contributing editor of the TODAY Show, picks for the perfect place to live.

What makes a city friendly? We looked for certain standards like safety, diversity, pedestrian and bike friendliness, as well as the presence of parks and public spaces. Then we looked for something unique, like a place that always has big, fun public events or someplace with a lot of farmers markets. Most importantly, we talked to brokers to get their personal stories of friendliness.And finally, we took a look at statistics that help make a place friendly, such as enough hotel rooms to welcome visitors, enough bars to have a robust happy hour, enough tourists willing to visit and, of course, budget-friendly home prices.

Here are some notes, findings and quotes from our five friendliest cities:

San Antonio, Texas: Where they pay it forward

More than 26 million people visit San Antonio each year.

The city has 68 miles of urban hike and bike trails, and more than 11,000 acres of urban parks. The second oldest park in the U.S., San Pedro Park, is in San Antonio.

The Riverwalk, or Paseo del Rio, is a city park meandering along the banks of the San Antonio River, and it's the heart of the city. You can walk along its picturesque banks, lined with lush local plants, and stop in the riverside restaurants, shops and cafes. There's even a special place to get married on the Riverwalk: Marriage Island.

May 21, 2008

San Antonio,TX was listed number two in the country for best places to live by HomeRoute a real estate firm that operates Relocate-America.com, a source of community information and real-estate resources for those who are relocating. Each year, the site ranks the top 100 places to live in the country.

Areas need to be nominated on the site in order to be eligible for the list; more than 2,000 were nominated this year, Nickerson said. But the site's editorial team also takes into account an area's growth, its educational and employment opportunities, crime rates and housing options before granting it a spot in the top 100. Environmental highlights also play a role, with a city gaining points for good air and water quality or the strength of its recycling efforts, Nickerson said.

Home-price appreciation does get some consideration, however it's only one piece of the analysis, Areas that offer a comfortable climate and economic opportunity tend to be the most sought-after communities on the site, he said. San Antonio, TX. was praised for its cost of living, recreational opportunities and diversity.